5:54 PM, August 16, 2012

Former Mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick speaks at a no-holds bar interview hosted by Vickie Thomas and the Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists at the St. Regis Hotel in Detroit on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012. / KIMBERLY P. MITCHELL/Detroit Free Press

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was the featured speaker tonight at the Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

His appearance came days after a federal judge rejected his request for a new lawyer in his upcoming public corruption trial. On Monday, he is to return for the next step in jury selection.

From 6-8 p.m. tonight, Kilpatrick participated in a “no-holds-barred question and answer session” at the NABJ meeting, according to a news release.

In an interview with DC-NABJ President and WWJ city beat reporter Vickie Thomas, Kilpatrick said, “This is the first time I’ve done anything like this since leaving Detroit almost four years ago … I’ve taken an incredible butt whipping but I’ve also been humbled by this experience enough to know that in order to continue to move forward, there are some things you must address.”